1. Saint Thomas University
City: Miami Gardens, FL
Category: Education
Telephone: (305) 623-2330
Address: 16401 NW 37th Ave.
Description: Various bachelor’s, master’s, and advanced degrees are offered at this university. The business school offers emphases on various aspects of business including tourism/hospitality, sports administration, finance, and economics, to name a few. There is also a law school, school of leadership studies, school of science, and school of theology. Visitors can access the law school library during the school year on Mon through Thurs from 7:30 a.m. to midnight, Fri from 7:30 a.m. to midnight, Sat from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sun from 10 a.m. to midnight.
2. Hardcore Art Contemporary Space
City: Miami Gardens, FL
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (786) 488-4375
Address: 33326 North Miami Ave.
Description: This 6,000-square-foot space is “dedicated to contemporary projects and cutting edge artists” with a critical eye on society. Politics, sexuality, cloning, abuse, and genetics are just some of the social issues the gallery explores. As the name suggests, nonconformity and dissension are embraced. Open Tues through Fri from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sat from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
3. Miami Dolphins
City: Miami Gardens, FL
Category: Spectator Sports
Telephone: (305) 620-2578
Address: 2269 NW 199th St.
Description: Founded by Joe Robbie in 1966, the Miami Dolphins have a rich history and hold numerous records. In 1972, the Dolphins became the first, and currently, only NFL team to complete a perfect season and win the Super Bowl. The team went on to win the Super Bowl again the following year. Don Shula, the team’s head coach from 1970 to 1995, holds the NFL record for most career wins (347 to be exact). The team also boasts 6 Football Hall of Fame members including Larry Csonka, Bob Griese, and Dan Marino. As a quarterback, Marino holds or has held almost every NFL passing record. The Dolphins play at Dolphin Stadium and the team may have a shot at the Super Bowl in coming years with a few star players like Brandon Marshall. Tickets can be purchased online or at the box office during the week from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. starting around $20.
4. Miami Hurricanes
City: Miami Gardens, FL
Category: Spectator Sports
Telephone: (305) 284-2263
Address: 2269 NW 199th St.
Description: Finally, the well-known Miami Hurricanes are expected to regain national championship status with their new coach, Al Golden. Ticketmaster is the best place to purchase tickets but check the website for more information.
5. Florida Marlins
City: Miami Gardens, FL
Category: Spectator Sports
Telephone: (305) 623-6100 (Sun Life Stadi
Address: 2269 Dan Marino Blvd.
Description: The Florida Marlins have probably had the most successful first two decades of just about any team in Major League history; they’ve already won two World Series championships, in 1997 and in 2003. They habitually produce young teams that are always exciting to watch, if not always in the thick of pennant races. The Marlins’ big news of late, actually, is that they’re leaving Sun Life Stadium. It’s a facility that was built for football, not baseball, and is not necessarily conducive to watching baseball games, or for the smaller crowds attracted by baseball (which, after all, has a 162-game schedule, as opposed to the 16 games of pro football). So “The Fish” are building themselves a new baseball stadium in downtown Miami, a modern showpiece with a partial roof on the land where the legendary Orange Bowl stood for 70 years. That new stadium will be ready for the 2012 season, and Miami fans are already watching it go up with great interest. When it opens, the Marlins will officially become the Miami Marlins, not the Florida Marlins.In the meantime, it’s still a jolly-good show at Sun Life Stadium, which is just off the Florida Turnpike, about 25 miles south of Palm Beach County. The stadium may not be ideal. But the game is still baseball. The Marlins still field exciting young teams. The crack of bat against ball—especially to real baseball fans—still sounds the same. And the hot dogs are still just as good.
6. Miami Dolphins
City: Miami Gardens, FL
Category: Spectator Sports
Telephone: (305) 623-6100
Address: 2269 Dan Marino Blvd.
Description: The Miami Dolphins were the pioneers of the South Florida sports scene and the first professional franchise in the region. Their first season was 1966, and they were the laughingstock of the National Football League. They didn’t stay that way for long, though, winning the Super Bowl in 1972 (when they were undefeated; as of this writing, they’re still the only team in history to go through a season undefeated). Then they won the Super Bowl again in 1973. And, in so doing, they captured the hearts of South Florida sports fans forever. The Dolphins are still the dominant professional franchise in the region, even though the Super Bowl Victory in ’73 was their last. Almost as soon as one season ends, the fans start talking about prospects for the following season.Sun Life Stadium holds 77,000, and about 55,000 of those seats go to season ticket holders. However, there are generally a few tickets available as late as the week before the game. It’s a nice place to watch a football game—and it’s the focus of most of South Florida’s attention on Game Days. The stadium is located about 25 miles south of Boca Raton, just off the Florida Turnpike. Traffic, as you might expect, is very dense on game days, so head out early if you’ve got tickets. And if the Dolphins are not having a particularly good season, you may even be able to walk up to the ticket window and get a ticket the day of the game—but don’t count on it. If you do get in, you’ll find yourself enveloped in sea of aqua and orange.If you’re in town in late-July and Aug, you can watch the Dolphins practice at their facility in the town of Davie, also about 25 miles south of Boca. The pro football season starts in early Sept and generally runs into the first week of Jan.
7. University Of Miami Football
City: Miami Gardens, FL
Category: Spectator Sports
Telephone: (305) 623-6100
Address: 2269 Dan Marino Blvd.
Description: The fabled University of Miami Hurricanes left their beloved Orange Bowl for newer pastures in 2007 The old stadium, scene of so many legendary games and championship contests in both college and pro football, was torn down shortly afterward. However, it can’t be denied that Sun Life Stadium is a much nicer place to watch a game than the Orange Bowl, which had been built in 1937. This stadium is modern and comfortable, with easy access, clean restrooms, better food, and better seats, and it’s much more easily accessible from Palm Beach County than the Orange Bowl was. The Hurricanes transformed the game of college football forever in the 1980s and ’90s, winning five national championships in the years between 1983 and 2001—a feat that may never be repeated. They’re not quite that dominant any more, although they still produce winning and very exciting teams. The College Game is fun to watch, and the pageantry—with marching bands and cheerleaders and chanting fans and the alma mater songs—is a colorful slice of Americana.The ‘Canes play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, against opponents such as Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Boston College, and their in-state rivals, the Florida State Seminoles. Games against the Florida States sell out, as do games against other national powers such as the University of Oklahoma. However, there are generally seats to be had against most of the other teams on the schedule. On a sunny autumn Saturday, there aren’t many better places to be than here.